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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. snap — to click
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — a safe
  19. march — the month
  20. cold — an illness
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com